Immigrant charged with raping 10-year-old that went across state borders for abortion

A man in Ohio was charged on Wednesday for raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl who had to leave the state to be able to get an abortion in a case that caught the national media’s attention amid the reversal of Roe v. Wade. 

Gerson Fuentes, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested on July 12 after he confessed to having raped a 10-year-old gild on at least two occasions. Fuentes was charged with the rape of a minor and is being held on a $2 million bond. 

The girl’s mother reported the incident and the girl’s pregnancy to Franklin County Children's services on June 22. The organization then unformed Columbus police, reported Detective Jeffery Huhn.

Ohio, which bans most abortions after six weeks, prevented the 10-year-old girl from getting an abortion after the state’s abortion laws went into effect after the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24.  

Instead, the girl had to cross state lines into Indiana on June 30 to get the abortion performed. 

Several abortion rights supporters criticized how the young rape victim could not receive an abortion, including President Joe Biden. 

“Imagine being that little girl. I’m serious. Just imagine being that little girl,” said the president on Friday. 

The problem of a single source 

The story of the incident and the girl's pregnancy quickly went viral. However, some outlets questioned the account, while others claimed the story was unproven and fabricated to create a narrative exemplifying the need for abortions. 

"In the initial absence of corroborating public details beyond an Indianapolis obstetrician's account, abortion rights opponents repeatedly cast doubt on whether the incident occurred," an NPR editorial stated Wednesday after asserting that the story was published only by The Star on July 1. 

Although The Star article quotes several physicians, the introductory anecdote was attributed to only one source: Dr. Caitlin Bernard, a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist who is an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. 

Bernard reported the child abuse in Ohio, but the article did not elaborate on the patient or explain how the had verified the doctor's story, NPR continues. 

"What we seem to have here is a presidential seal of approval on an unlikely story from a biased source that neatly fits the progressive narrative but can’t be confirmed," said an editorial by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

However, the criminal charges and confession of the rapist confirm the story. If convicted, Fuentes can face a sentence of life in prison.